


if you let me feel a ray of your sun

by greedlings



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Gen, post-p5r true end, tags will be added if i decide to continue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:27:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25845025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greedlings/pseuds/greedlings
Summary: Ryuji couldn’t help the drop of his jaw, although he was quick to pick it back up off of the floor. His hand tightened around the doorknob--he was glad that that, at least, was out of sight.“Ryuji? Who is it?” The sound of his mother's heels on the kitchen floor echoed from behind Ryuji, then stopped. “Oh. A friend from school?”With a grin plastered on his face, Ryuji turned towards his mother, “Yeah, he’s, uh… yeah.”He watched his mother’s eyebrow raise, but before she could pry any further, Akechi spoke up from behind Ryuji, “It’s wonderful to finally meet you, ma’am. Ryuji talks a lot about how wonderful you are.”**or, akechi, fresh out of rehab, searches for a friend and finds one in ryuji
Relationships: Akechi Goro & Sakamoto Ryuji
Comments: 3
Kudos: 50





	if you let me feel a ray of your sun

**Author's Note:**

> it's my birthday and i get to post what i want!!!! and what i want is ryugoro
> 
> i have a lot of feelings about post-rehab akechi and i rlly wanted to write a ryugoro fic, so why not combine the two!! there's a (pretty good) chance that i'll continue this and have akechi meet up with all of the other pts bc PLEASE let him be their friends but for now i'm gonna leave it as a one shot. ANYWAYS please enjoy this lil thing i had a lot of fun writing it :')
> 
> OH and the title comes from the altoghethers song 'follow through', which is, as of right now, the only song in my ryugoro playlist ! plz give it a listen its sooooo worth it

Ryuji couldn’t help the drop of his jaw, although he was quick to pick it back up off of the floor. His hand tightened around the doorknob--he was glad that that, at least, was out of sight.

“Ryuji? Who is it?” The sound of his mother's heels on the kitchen floor echoed from behind Ryuji, then stopped. “Oh. A friend from school?”

With a grin plastered on his face, Ryuji turned towards his mother, “Yeah, he’s, uh… yeah.”

He watched his mother’s eyebrow raise, but before she could pry any further, Akechi spoke up from behind Ryuji, “It’s wonderful to finally meet you, ma’am. Ryuji talks a lot about how wonderful you are."

“Does he now?” Ryuji’s mom grinned, shooting a look at Ryuji before looking back to Akechi, “Well, feel free to come in. Any friend of Ryuji’s is a friend of mine.”

Ryuji moved to the side, pressing his back against the wall as Akechi walked through the door. There was an air of hesitancy that Ryuji had never seen from Akechi--it worried him nearly as much as  _ why _ Akechi was here in the first place--but his mother didn’t seem to notice. Instead, she waited for Akechi to enter the house, then walked up to Ryuji

“I’ll be out late, so don’t wait for me,” she said, placing a gentle kiss on Ryuji’s forehead; Ryuji could see Akechi barely flinch from over his mother’s shoulder, and he couldn’t help but wince as well. Then, she turned to face Akechi. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.” She turned towards the door now, calling a gentle  _ have fun! _ as she walked through the door.

The apartment fell silent as the latch of the door clicked, and Ryuji was sure he could have cut the tension between him and Akechi with a fork. After an awkward moment, Ryuji swallowed, then turned his eyes towards Akechi.

“So, uh… would you like a glass of water? I think I have some Dr. Salt in the fridge--”

“Coffee, if you have it.” Akechi’s lips pulled into a soft smile, but Ryuji could still see the anxious turn of his eyebrows, “If not, water is just fine.”

Ryuji rubbed the back of his neck, “Sorry, we aren’t really coffee drinkers.”

“You never did drink coffee, I suppose.”

_ He remembers that? _

It was quiet once again as Ryuji got a glass for Akechi. The silence continued as they sat across from each other in Ryuji’s living room, Ryuji on the small loveseat and Akechi in the armchair that almost matched.

Akechi was the one to break the silence this time. “I’m sure you have questions--” 

“Well, only really one right now.” 

Softly, Akechi laughed before continuing, “--so I’ll let you go first.”

Ryuji raised an eyebrow; in response, Akechi moved his hand in a way that said  _ go on _ .

“Okay. So, uh… How are you… alive? Aren’t you dead?”

“That’s one way to put it.” Ryuji felt a gentle heat form in his cheeks as Akechi sat forward, resting his elbows on his thighs. Ryuji noticed, now, how tightly he was holding his water between his hands, how red the pressure made his fingertips, “I don’t really know. I remember our battle in Shido’s palace, and after that, it’s somewhat…  _ fuzzy _ . I must have gotten out of the palace somehow though.”

Akechi looked up from his water now, his face pulled into an all-too-familiar scowl. “Of course, I also remember our ordeal with Maruki as well, but that just seems to… confuse my memories more.”

“Yeah, that’s understandable. I mean, we all lived through a month that was erased from time.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Akechi cast his eyes to the side. Ryuji watched Akechi for a moment, watched his face tighten, thinking, before he relaxed and shook his head.

“Dude, what’s up? You look like you want to say something.”

Akechi blinked, head still turned to the side, then lifted his glass to his lips before taking a small sip. Then, he sighed, “Do you… Do you hate me?”

It took Ryuji a moment to respond, “W-what?”

“I don’t believe it was that hard of a question.”

“Well, no, it wasn’t, but that’s not what I was--”

“Just answer the question, Sakamoto.”

Ryuji hesitated, only for a split second. “No? Why would I hate you?”

“There are… a  _ lot _ of things I did to make you hate me.”

“Like what? Being the super popular pretty-boy that all of the girls fawned over? Publicly declaring war with the Phantom Thieves?”

“I was thinking more along the lines of ‘plotting your leader’s death and the subsequent deaths of you and your teammates’ and ‘nearly murdering you’.”

“Well, yeah, okay, that was pretty bad,” Ryuji shifted on the sofa, crossing one leg over his lap, “But I never really  _ hated _ you. Not for that, at least.”

Akechi’s eyebrows furrowed, “What do you mean by that?”

“Well… I guess at first I hated you. The  _ detective prince _ you, charismatic, always knew exactly what to say, you know. But… even though you did bad things, you still had your reasons.”

“So you don’t hate me because you pity me.” Ryuji expected there to be more anger behind Akechi’s words, but the sadness laced in his tone was impossible to miss.

Ryuji shook his head, “No, not  _ because _ . I don’t hate you,  _ and _ I pity you.”

Akechi was silent for a moment. Then, quietly at first, he laughed. Ryuji watched as he did; it started as snickers, soft sounds that barely tugged the corners of his mouth upwards. Then, he raised a fist to his mouth as he began to laugh-- _ actually _ laugh--a sound that came less from his lungs and more from his chest. For a moment, Akechi simply laughed, Ryuji watching in stunned silence.

“I don’t remember you having quite a way with words. Have you gotten wiser since we last met?”

Ryuji felt heat rise in his cheeks again, “Well, I-I  _ am  _ a third-year now, and--” Akechi laughed again, this time a single short burst of sound, “--you were being sarcastic.”

Slowly, Akechi took a breath; his laughter faded, but the smile on his face barely followed, “Not entirely.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Akechi placed his glass down on the table between them with a sigh. Completely ignoring Ryuji’s comment, he said, “Do you think the other’s feel the same? Your friends, I mean.”

Ryuji cocked his head, “Why not ask them yourself?”

The look on Akechi’s face made it clear he had his reasons.

“Well… I don’t know, honestly. I can see Futaba and Haru being angry--”

“Understandably so.” Akechi’s shoulders sagged, just slightly.

“ _ But _ I don’t think either of them are really the type to hate, y’know?”

Akechi turned his eyes away again, “I think anyone can hate.”

“Of course they  _ can _ . I’m just saying they  _ won’t _ .”

Akechi huffed, something between a laugh and a sound of disbelief, and the room fell silent again. Ryuji watched Akechi as he looked around--making sure to avoid looking at Ryuji--before lifting his cup to his lips.

“What about you?”

“What do you mean?” Akechi asked, lowering the glass to the table once again.

“Do  _ you _ hate  _ us _ ? Me?”

“I… No. I don’t”

Ryuji let Akechi’s words hang in the air for a moment before replying, “You said--”

“I  _ know _ \--” his voice was harsh, a tone that reminded Ryuji of their time dealing with Maruki. But, as Ryuji watched, Akechi took a moment to take a breath, and when he spoke again Akechi’s voice was softer, more sad, “I know what I said. At the time, I thought I  _ did _ hate you.”

“But you didn’t.”

Slowly, Akechi shook his head, “I realize now that I… I was jealous.”

Ryuji grinned, “You were really jealous of my good looks and my skills, right?”

Akechi rolled his eyes, though Ryuji didn’t sense any anger in it, “Not necessarily. I hated that I had tried for  _ so long _ to make myself likable, to find friends and a home and feel like I  _ belonged.  _ You  _ had  _ all that. You didn’t even need to  _ work  _ for it. And I  _ hated  _ you all for that.”

“I get what you’re saying,” Ryuji started, shifting his position on the sofa once again, “But we  _ did  _ work for it.”

“You…”

“We didn’t get as close as we are overnight, dude. Relationships take a lot of work and time, even if it doesn’t feel like it sometimes.”

For a moment, Akechi was quiet, his eyebrows gently furrowed as he thought. Ryuji had never really seen this side of Akechi--hell, this entire  _ conversation _ felt almost out of character for Akechi--but he found himself smiling softly as he watched.

“I’m sure that you could still be friends with us, even after everything. Hell, you already  _ are _ friends with Ren, right?”

“I suppose. What about you?”

“Hmm?”

“Would you… consider us friends?”

Ryuji leaned forwards laying his arms across his lap, “I thought you hated me until, like, fifteen minutes ago. I’m honestly  _ still _ not really sure you like me.”

“And what would you say if I said that I do like you?”

Ryuji smiled, “I think… I think I’d smile for sure.”

For the first time, Ryuji could see the soft shimmer of tears in Akechi’s eyes as he smiled.

“I also think--” Ryuji straightened his back, crossing his arms in front of his chest, “--that I’d ask if you need a hug?”

Akechi seemed taken aback, but Ryuji watched him consider for a moment before returning his gaze to Ryuji’s, “I suppose… if you’re offering it.”

“Hell yeah, dude!” In a moment, Ryuji was on his feet, arms outstretched. Akechi seemed unsure as to what to do as Ryuji moved towards him and, once he made his way across the room, wrapped his arms tightly around his upper body.

For a moment, Akechi was stiff, and Ryuji wondered if he had done something wrong. Before he could pull away, however, Akechi relaxed, returning the hug. He let his head fall against Ryuji’s shoulder. Then, he turned his head into Ryuji’s neck, and Ryuji could feel as his shirt grew damp where Akechi’s tears fell. Ryuji pulled Akechi just a little bit closer.

Ryuji could swear he heard Akechi softly whisper  _ I’m sorry _ as he pulled him closer.

After a moment, Akechi sniffed and loosened his grip. Ryuji followed suit, letting his arms drop to his side as Akechi stepped away, wiping the tears from under his eyes.

“You know,” Ryuji said as he moved back to the sofa, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen this side of you. What, did you go to therapy while you were dead?”

“Yes, actually,” Akechi said, a smug smile on his face as he sat back down on the armchair. “Well, to be  _ completely _ accurate I went to  _ rehab _ , but whatever.”

“Oh. Sorry, I--”

Akechi giggled, shaking his head. Ryuji joined in, and he released tension from his shoulders that he hadn’t even realized he was holding.

“Say,” Ryuji started once the room was quiet again, “Why did you come to see  _ me _ , anyways? I would’ve thought you’d go to, like, Ren, not me.”

“I was going to meet with Ren first, but I missed his train. As for why I came to you…” Akechi’s mouth turned upwards as he continued, “I’m not quite sure. Perhaps… perhaps I thought that, if I could gain your trust, maybe I  _ could _ gain the trust of the others."

Something must have changed in Ryuji, because he watched Akechi’s eyes widen, “Not that I expect you to trust me right away, of course. But I… I would like to try to gain your trust. I’d like to try and gain  _ everyone’s _ trust, and I hope that if I can, I might--”

“Become a part of the group,” Ryuji finished. 

Slowly, eyes cast towards the floor, Akechi nodded. “Is it too much to ask of you? To help me, I mean.”

Ryuji was quiet for a beat, somewhat stunned at Akechi’s proposal, and Akechi seemed to deflate. He moved to push himself up from the chair, his voice tight as he said, “I understand. I’m sorry for--”

“Dude, I never said no! I just don’t know if I’m really the right one for this, y’know?” 

Slowly, Akechi lowered himself back into his chair, “Well, you’re the one I asked nonetheless.”

For a moment, Ryuji was quiet. Then, he smiled, “Alright! Where do we start?”

**Author's Note:**

> before y'all say anything YES i intentionally messed up the "cut the tension with a knife" phrase bc i LOVE how often ryuji messes up phrases in p5r
> 
> comments are always appreciated!! <3<3
> 
> you can find me on tumblr @/greecllings and on twitter @/greedlings_


End file.
